How to Get Motivated to Study: 23 Tips for Students Who Procrastinate

It’s so easy to watch just one more YouTube video, or to scroll through your social media feed just one more time.

But your exams are approaching. They’re getting nearer by the day.

You have a rising sense of panic, but you don’t know where to begin. The more you panic, the harder it is to get to work.

If this is the situation you’re in, keep reading.

In this article, I’m going to explain 23 proven strategies that successful students use to motivate themselves to study.

Get ready to say goodbye to procrastination!

FREE BONUS: This article is 3,000 words long, so I’ve created a PDF summary for your convenience. Download it here for free. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 7 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

Just as with a physical workout, a key part of training your brain is rest and recovery. So make sure that you get at least 8 hours of sleep a night (many students even need 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night).

Nutrition is another important aspect of training your brain.

The brain needs certain fatty acids in order to function optimally. You can get these fatty acids from eating nuts, avocados and salmon. Other brain foods include:

Berries

Beans

Pumpkin seeds

Pomegranate juice

Dark chocolate

14. Organise your time

The act of creating a study schedule is a form of commitment, so it will help you to stay motivated.

Here are some useful steps in creating a study schedule:

For each subject, make a list of the tasks you need to complete in order to be ready for the exam

15. Study in a group

Of course, it’s crucial that you find the right students to join the study group. These students should be focused and disciplined.

I also recommend that the study group have no more than four students. If the group is larger than four, it tends to become distracting.

Studying in a group is not only fun. It also gives everyone in the group a sense of accountability.

When you study in a group, you can make commitments to each other related to new habits you want to develop, or bad habits you want to break.

But the benefits of studying in a group don’t stop there.

When you study in a group you can pool your notes together and get much better notes than any one person could possibly produce.

Also, studying in a group takes advantage of the fact that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. If there’s a concept you don’t understand, chances are that someone in your group will be able to explain it to you.

16. Make learning active, not passive

Passive learning is where you try to absorb information and knowledge. It’s based on the idea that you’re an empty vessel waiting to be filled.

But research shows that this isn’t the best way to learn.

We actually construct knowledge by integrating the new material with what we already know and have already experienced.

So if you want to learn a new topic quickly and effectively, use as much active learning as you can.

Examples of active learning are:

Finding applications of the new topic in your own life

Doing case studies where the new ideas or theories are put into a specific context

Doing group projects

Reviewing and commenting on the work of your friends

Thinking of ways to apply concepts to problems you come across

17. Schedule relaxation

This may seem obvious, but when your focus is studying for an upcoming exam, it’s easy to forget that you need time to relax.

Remember Point #10 and “spaced learning”?

We learn new information by creating memories. But those memories need time to be formed. That means having gaps between learning spurts.

In short, you need to schedule relaxation to recharge and learn better.

18. Exercise regularly

When you’re focused on studying for a major exam, it’s common to overlook exercise.

But, as far as possible, get 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

This is because regular exercise is vital if you want to study effectively and stay motivated.

Aerobic activity, such as swimming, jogging or walking, sends oxygen, blood and nutrients to your brain.

This helps you to think and concentrate.

Research even shows that short periods of light exercise immediately after studying improves the recall of new information.

19. Visualise yourself doing the task successfully

If you’re having trouble with a particular task, visualise yourself completing that task successfully.

Sports psychologists have long known about the power of visualisation as a technique for accomplishing difficult tasks.

Visualisation uses the “theatre of the mind” to mentally rehearse completing challenging tasks.

It works by laying down neural pathways in the brain. When you repeatedly visualise yourself completing a task, it makes it easier to perform the task in reality.

So spend a few minutes every day visualising yourself successfully completing your various study-related tasks – especially if you find them daunting.

20. Remind yourself that this won’t go on forever

Studying for exams can seem like an endless marathon, but it does have an end date.

Remind yourself of this, particularly on days when you feel overwhelmed or unmotivated.

Telling yourself that “this won’t go on forever” will allow you to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.

But it will also make you study harder, because you know that you have urgent tasks at hand.

21. Focus on the process, not the result

When you’re studying, it’s often difficult to see the fruit of your labour, especially at the beginning.

That’s why you should focus on the process, not the result.

Did you complete most of your planned tasks today? Congratulate yourself.

Did you stick to your study schedule in general today? Maintain your focus.

Did you put your phone in another room when you were studying, so you wouldn’t be distracted? Keep it up.

Remember, it’s habits that you’re trying to form.

If you get the process right, the results will follow.

22. Get rid of distractions

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many students try to study with one eye on their textbook and the other eye on their social media feed.

It’s almost as if they want to be distracted.

List all the common distractions you face when you’re studying. Do your best to eliminate every single one of them.

For example, you could:

Turn off your Internet access

Put your phone on flight mode

Put your phone in another room

Mute your group chats

Use earplugs

Delete all the games on your phone, tablet and computer

23. If you don’t feel like starting, set a timer for 5 minutes

Sometimes, the hardest part of anything is simply starting.

But the fear of doing something is almost always worse than the actual doing. Once you start, you’ll find it wasn’t as bad as you thought.

So if you don’t feel like getting to work, set a timer for 5 minutes.

You can tell yourself that once those 5 minutes are up, you can stop work.

But, in all likelihood, you would have got some momentum going, so you’ll continue.

I hope these words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe will inspire you:

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Conclusion

The keys to getting motivated to study are organising your time and work, and knowing how to use your mind effectively.

That’s what I’ve shown you in this article: 23 tips for organising your time, developing the right mindset, and using your brain in the most efficient way possible.

(Download the free PDF below to learn 7 bonus tips.)

Follow these tips for studying smart – not hard – and you’ll soon be on your way to becoming a successful student who doesn’t procrastinate!

Like this article? Please share it with your friends.

FREE BONUS: Don’t forget to download a free PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 7 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

Comments

Love your ideas! especially “Break the material into chunk”, “Mind map”,”Make boring topics to interesting”,
These guidelines are really effective to my studying plan. Hope you will write more books pertaining to
academic excellence as I am looking forward .Kudos to you for sharing!!

Hi I am Hasin…and I am really struggling due to lack of concentration…I have only 5 months left for a crucial examination and I can’t seem to concentrate even a little bit…I read the article and feel somewhat motivated..But I am not quite sure whether I can actually convert myself from what I am right now…I am really very tensed…I just hope this works out well for me…

I’m having intrest to study…first my friend was helping me in studies I got first class in Al the semester..but now he is too busy because he is teaching others..if I start to study at that movement I can understand..after tat my mind will b blank..only 2weeks left for my semester examz what should I do now??